Novel multi-stage simulated annealing for optimal placement of PMUs in conjunction with conventional measurements

Power grid monitoring plays a vital role in stable and secure power transfer from generating stations to customer load points. Incorporation of synchrophasor measurement units like phasor measurement units (PMUs) can enhance the present power grid monitoring system. The high cost of PMUs summons the optimal use of these units to achieve complete observability of the power grid network. This paper presents a novel Multi-Stage Simulated Annealing algorithm for the joint placement of PMUs along with the existing conventional measurement units in the power grid network. The proposed multi-stage optimization method enables Simulated Annealing to reach the optimal point faster than conventional Simulated Annealing methods. The controlled uphill movements during various stages facilitate to obtain best possible solution.